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How to Compress a PDF on Linux

Updated 2026-09-17 · 2 min read

On Linux, most Linux PDF tools are viewers, and the editors that exist rarely match embedded fonts. That is why people end up searching for a way to compress a PDF properly.

Almost all PDF bulk is images. Text weighs nothing, so compression is really a decision about how much image detail you can spare.

PDFfont edits PDF text in the document's own embedded font — no white cover boxes.

Edit a PDF

Doing it on Linux

Open Firefox or Chrome and choose the file from your home directory. Then work through the same steps as anywhere else:

Open the file and check which pages are photographs or scans — those are the heavy ones.

Delete any pages you do not need to send at all.

Export with image downsampling around 150 dpi for screen reading, or 300 dpi if it will be printed.

Check the result opens cleanly and the smallest print is still legible.

Saving the finished file

When you export, the browser save dialog writes it wherever you point it. PDF, PNG and JPG are all available.

Why nothing needs installing

Real text is never rasterised, so it stays perfectly sharp no matter how far the images are compressed.

Because it all runs in a browser tab, it also works on managed school and work devices where you cannot add software.

Frequently asked

Does compressing blur the text?

No, only images are affected.

What size should I aim for?

Under 10 MB clears most email limits; under 5 MB is safer.

Does this work on older Linux versions?

Yes — any reasonably current browser is enough, regardless of the operating system version.

Try it on your own document

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